Tottenham Eyes Nicolas Jackson as Gakpo Deal Stalls
Tottenham Hotspur have stepped up their attacking contingency plans, with French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reporting that the club are monitoring Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson as the transfer window ticks into its final stretch.
Spurs are not alone. Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are also tracking the Senegal international, with Hawkins stating that a deal would likely take around £60m. It is a hefty fee, but still shy of the £70m Liverpool are said to be demanding for Cody Gakpo.
What makes this line of interest resonate is the source. A Mail report earlier in the window claimed Spurs were considering a move for Jackson, only for that story to be quickly dismissed by several well-connected English reporters, including Alasdair Gold. This time the noise feels different. Hawkins has a strong track record on French and Francophone players, and his information has given the Jackson links fresh weight.
Jackson, 23, is three years younger than Gakpo and, crucially, a natural centre-forward. That profile matters. Tottenham’s hierarchy have been scouring the market for attacking reinforcements and have been locked on to Savinho and Gakpo as primary targets. But the dominoes around Gakpo are refusing to fall.
PSG are reportedly holding out for a very high fee from Liverpool for Bradley Barcola. If the French champions do not relent, Liverpool’s stance on Gakpo is obvious: why weaken their attack if they cannot secure a replacement? As that situation drags on, Spurs are preparing for the possibility that Gakpo simply will not be available.
That is where Jackson comes in. All signs point to him being part of a Plan B package rather than the headline act, but an important Plan B nonetheless. Hawkins’ £60m figure is actually lower than the £65m quoted in the Mail’s story ten days ago, suggesting the parameters of a potential deal are at least being kicked around.
Jackson is a divisive name for many Tottenham supporters. He plays for Chelsea. He has scored against Spurs. The instinctive reaction in north London will not be universal excitement. Strip away the badge, though, and the profile is intriguing.
He underperforms his xG, which will concern some analysts, but he consistently gets shots away inside the penalty area. That habit is gold dust for an attacking coach like Roberto De Zerbi, under whom Jackson would be expected to thrive in a fluid, aggressive system that creates volume and quality of chances. Give a striker enough good looks at goal and the numbers tend to correct themselves.
There is also the broader market question. In a window where fees for forwards have exploded, a 23-year-old Premier League striker, with room to grow and a skill set tailored to modern pressing and transition football, starts to look like an undervalued asset. It is fair to ask why more clubs are not circling.
For now, though, this sits in the “keep it in your back pocket” category. Tottenham’s priority remains clear: push for Savinho, stay alive in the Gakpo conversation, and wait to see whether Liverpool’s Barcola pursuit breaks the logjam.
If it does not, and if the final days of the window force clubs into sharp, late decisions, Jackson may quickly move from backup plan to front-and-centre solution.
